"One Thing That's Been Weighing On My Mind" - Honesty In The Midst Of The Otherwise: Alan's Genie Award Nomination And Revealing Cruise Moments

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I'd like to think that some of that honesty made its way into the song and that's what garnered the Genie nod. - Alan Doyle

Newfoundland Herald

The first time I ever heard Alan play his songs, it was their honesty that caught my attention. I could hear something in those songs that was subtly different from the customary perspectives with which I was familiar, and I could also hear that this difference was something in which the songwriter himself genuinely and sincerely believed. It felt honest. It felt real. The man I saw revealed in those songs looked to be someone very special, from some place special. Attention capitulated and heart followed suit.

I have wondered so many times what my reaction would have been if instead of stumbling across Alan Doyle playing his songs on the 2001 CBC Songwriters' Circle show I had instead stumbled across Great Big Sea's live performance at Bumbershoot some six months later, the same Bumbershoot performance I went to in search of that genuine and sincere songwriter with the wonderfully honest songs.  There's an excellent chance that we would have stumbled in GBS's direction even if I had not seen Alan's earlier performance - their a cappella harmonies would have likely caught my attention, and Alan's voice, especially Alan's voice paired with Bob's accordion, would  have been sure to - and it's quite possible that we would have lingered, at least for awhile, as we have often lingered upon discovery of yet another brand new jewel in the wealth of music that can be found at Bumbershoot.

Of this much, I can be reasonably certain, but less so of what might have followed after. It is all speculation and, at the end of the day, speculation is, as Bob has now and again said, a generally unhealthy practice. All that I know for sure is that what has kept attention captivated and heart in hand - as well as on sleeve - has been those moments of honesty, those glimpses of that which is sincere and genuine and real, in the midst of all that is otherwise. Brilliant moments of clarity, moments in which a very special man from an equally special place is revealed.

The first time I saw Alan Doyle perform his Young Triffie song - this at the Evening Of Doyles show in 2006 - I was caught off-guard. As much as I respect Alan's songwriting ability, as highly as I think of his talent and skill, still, this song rose well above that estimation.  Personal experience transformed into universal resonance, an aching awareness of innocence inescapably lost - Young Triffie is the highest achievement that can be made by any artistic endeavour: It is true. The special man, the skilled songwriter, is at his very best when he is at his most genuine and honest.

I hope he and his song win this award. Folllowing in Alan's own path of honesty, I will say that I am afraid he could have a high hurdle to overcome in regard to preconceptions and biases about who he is both as a Newfoundlander and as the front man of Great Big Sea. It's not at all fair, but you won't catch me expressing the opinion that this beautiful life is particularly fair. It would  be neither the first time nor the first circumstance in which Alan's true worth was not acknowledged or in which he was not taken as seriously as he deserved to be. But the song itself insists on being taken seriously; it is one clear and undeniable measure of that worth, one of those brilliant moments of clarity. Young Triffie is an honest reflection of the man who wrote it, a glimpse of that which is true in the midst of that which is otherwise.

Such glimpses and reflections can occur in various and sundry places, at odd moments and in unlikely circumstances. Of all the photos and videos I have gone through from the recent cruise, I have come across two of what look to be such genuine and honest moments, one being the Songwriters' Panel and the other Alan's Keep Your Hands To Yourself at the final-night jam. Much gratitude to the people who preserved these special moments to share with those who could not be present:

Video of Alan Doyle's four Ships And Dip 3 Songwriters' Panel songs 

Video of Alan Doyle's Keep Your Hands To Yourself, final jam, Ships and Dip 3

As best as I can tell (and again, there is that 'unhealthy" element of speculation), there was not much that took place on the cruise that would have had a great deal of point or purpose for me beyond simple curiousity; while I realise that others had a wonderful time, and still more probably would have had an equally wonderful time given the opportunity to be present, I'm not persuaded that I would have felt that same way. If the shows they did had been the first time I had come across GBS - which begs the question in that I seriously doubt I'd have ever been in such a circumstance in the first place, if not for going solely because someone I already genuinely cared about was there - I really do not know what the outcome would have been in terms of what I wound up thinking of them.

But one thing that I know for sure is what my own response would have been to Alan's Songwriters' Panel performance, and the same could be said for his final-jam version of that old Georgia Satellites' tune. I would have thought Alan Doyle was a spectacular performer, an impassioned lead guitarist, and a superlative songwriter; I would have thought that he looked to be a very special man, a man who comes from a very special place. I would have no doubt about how much he was capable of doing and being. The power, intensity, and sincerity of those moments - the honesty of those moments - could not have failed in captivating and persuading.

As much as I don't mind missing the rest of what took place on that boat, I will (honestly) admit that I deeply regret all that prevented me from being able to witness those honest moments firsthand. And (not "but'") I am glad that Alan was able to have those moments.

I would be even more glad to see Alan have a Genie Award moment. Honestly.

Comments

[Jenn]

Wow. I didn't know Alan could play guitar like that. He needs to do it more.

I hope he wins too.

[Anne Tenaglia]

I think you sell the cruise short, Lynda. If you say that the Bumbershoot show would have captured you with the harmonies and acapella songs, then I am sure it would have done the same on the cruise. The only difference being you probably would have elected to go see the "rockier" groups! LOL! Then again, if you had stumbled on GBS when Alan was singing WIAK or Straight to Hell, etc. - there ya go! I submit you would have felt the same.

I am of the ilk that I would problably not do that cruise also, though. First of all, I don't drink that much and I hate beer. I dunno, I might go on a cruise to Alaska or somewhere exotic like that. But I'm not going for the food nor drink. I suspect you'd be the same.

I have declared a snow day for me - school is open but we've got 5 inches of snow in the driveway and the plows have not been out yet. All the school districts around here are closed. SUcks working 35 miles away from work. Oh well, I'll just enjoy the day off. Lord knows I deserve it! I've only had one sick day this year.

Anne

[Stephen]

Honesty is difficult enough to accomplish in personal life. Reaching the goal in professional life is a further challenge. I haven't heard the other nominated songs so can't compare but I can say Alan's song is a huge accomplishment. It's a next step beyond for him creatively.

Speculation really can be dangerous. It could be the cruise videos don't do the shows justice. Like you, I can't imagine being there to see it in the first place. I get the distinct impression it's not an event for people who want to see the musicians at their best. It's a good thing the songwriting workshop is part of the video legacy too because it restores some balance to the prevailing Great Big Clowns images. It's bad enough that everyone around here thinks that about BNL. The real question is what's next if the honest moments cease altogether?

Slipping the work clothes on, it's significant that Alan refers to GBS as 'cast' in the article. It's reminescent of Great Big Sea The Musical! Cast members play assigned roles. Or am I missing some subtle Canadian or Newfoundland connotation in the word?

[Leslie]

I have been addicted to those (and Ed's) songwriters panel videos on Youtube for awhile now. I've very glad for the fact that the internet has allowed us to experience some of (I think) what were probably the best moments of the cruise, without all the other things that went on that I have no interest in.

In the meantime, I am so looking forward to the Atlantic City show. Especially now that Pat McGee is the opener. Will you be there?

[lynda]

Hey Jenn - He really is good, isn't he? I haven't just been going on about his playing ability because of how sexy he is when doing it. That helps, of course, but not as much as his ability does.

To quote the Innocent Spoon: "More! More!"

Anne, I hope you have a splendid snow day. Take some time for yourself and enjoy. Funny how 5 inches of snow used to sound like a lot to me; now it's got to be more than 30 centimeters before I take it seriously at all. Then again, I'm not driving in it. I can get in plenty of trouble trying to walk, thanks much.

No, I'm not much of a cruise-mentality sort of person. I like having the freedom to come and go at will, and I don't think I'd particularly fit in with a ship full of fans. The only cruises I have ever been tempted to take are ones that take you some place you can't see otherwise, like the Alaskan Coast cruises. There's really some amazing stuff to see on those, really interesting geology and wildlife stuff to learn too. They even have day excursions via helicopter out onto glaciers where you can hike, and that does sound very cool. That's something I can see enjoying.

But almost anything can be of some interest, rock boat cruises included. Maybe I am selling this cruise short, Anne. It's hard to tell...speculation and all that. I didn't say I thought their Bumbershoot show would have kept my attention, only that it would have very likely caught my attention. I'm not sure what would have come after, though I sure would have been impressed by how much power they had over some in that crowd. We would have come across them there, almost certainly; our usual pattern has always been to wander from stage to stage at Bumbershoot. We've heard some really great music that way.

You know better than most what it's like to see multiple GBS shows, how those shows tend fall into certain categories. The GBS shows that have always impressed me the most and have had the greatest impact on me overall are the ones where they are in complete control of both themselves and their crowd. That doesn't mean they can't be funny and charming at that same show, just the opposite; I just like it best when they are in control of the fun. Those are the GBS shows that would have caught and kept me, no matter where I saw them the first time.

And that goes back to what I said about wanting to see the honest moments, the glimpses of clarity. They take themselves seriously, no matter how they act sometimes or what some people would rather believe about them. When I can see them taking their show seriously, especially smack dab in the midst of the most foolishly delightful fun, that's when I think they're amazing and incomparable, regardless of the song or the genre or the instrumentation. It's what I see in the two video clips I linked.

Stephen, I agree that honesty is hard. What if you're honest and people reject you? It is so much easier when a persona you project is rejected. Of course it also means way the hell less when that persona is what's embraced, and it really sucks when that persona is what's preferred. Not being honest is hard too, in its own way. Everything has its price.

Being honest artistically when in an environment where honesty is not the highest goal - I don't think a lot of GBS fans in general are particularly interested in honesty...as a general rule "escape" and "honesty" are mutually exclusive notions - has to be a hell of a challenge. I know how hard it is - and what kind of price you can wind up paying in the attempt - just from a peripheral position of trying to write about it.

From my own peripheral vantage point in that environment, what Alan has accomplished with Young Triffie and much of his recent songwriting output is nothing short of awesome. Given how much energy is invested into wanting the men of Great Big Sea to be nothing more than a pack of cheerfully inane, drunk-yet-uplifting party boys for the rest of their career, as well as how much money they can make living down to that expectation, every single time they prove that stereotype/assumption wrong - individually and/or collectively - is cause for respect and admiration. When an exceptional effort gets noticed by someone "outside" - as with Alan's Genie nomination - that's cause for my notion of what comprises "celebration".

Yeah, I know BNL's only a joke band to a lot of people. It's unfair because they have so much more of substance to offer than One Week or Million Dolllars (such as War On Drugs, The Apartment, When I Fall, For You), but those are still how people measure their worth, not at all unlike Donkey Riding and Old Black Rum. I don't know why so many people have such a hard time accepting anything or anyone complex, but it transcends bands. If you're funny in school, you're the class clown and God help you if you ever want to be taken seriously once that label is stuck to you. What happens when the Class Clown is also the Brilliant Writer? Most of the time, he's screwed. Same with being The Smart Kid, The Band Geek, The Pretty Bitch, The Stunned Jock and so on. Sad that so many people never move beyond high school, isn't it?

So because BNL (or GBS) does some funny tunes and cracks jokes on stage and acts goofy at times, for some that means they can't ever be taken seriously. At least BNL doesn't have the Newfie bigotry to deal with too - BNL does get more respect in Canada than GBS does, with the Juno awards to show for it. Overall, I think Canadians do a bit better with "quirky" than Americans do. Act quirky in the States and you will be shown to your niche post-haste. Actually, the same is true when it comes to being "upbeat" or "inspiring". Niches R Us.

I don't think you're missing anything about the word "cast". I noticed it too, especially since Bob recently used the same word, in a context which I found somewhat ambiguous. My first reaction was to recall that it's what Disneyland calls all of its employees - the highest to the lowest are all "cast members". I agree that it's a suggestive word choice, but my own impression - purely subjective - isn't so much that it's implying that they are playing roles that are completely fictional as in a movie or a play; what I'm inferring from "cast" is that they play roles which are a part of who they are, but not the sum total of who they are. The use of that word in self-description does create a distance between who they are individually and how they choose to act when they are being GBS, and I think that's a healthy thing.

I don't believe the honest moments will disappear, at least I don't believe that in regard to Alan. At the end of the day, I suppose it does come down to just that - belief. I believe in the boy who stood on the car bonnet so he could peek through the window and watch his uncle's band, and I believe in the man who wrote the Genie-nominated Young Triffie. I believe in him.

Leslie, you make a good point about Ed's Songwriters' Panel videos too. He really is a gifted songwriter; can you imagine what might result if he and Alan collaborated? Or how about a solo CD from Alan produced by Ed?

Yes, I am almost certainly going to be in Atlantic City, and in DC the next day. I think I am getting into AC on the 13th (just plans so far, no real reservations made yet). I am guessing HOB has their usual Eat Here To Lineup Early foolishness going on (at least HOB food is good), and I have never seen an AC casino, so I will likely be around and about early that next day. Let me know if you can/want to meet up beforehand.

I have seen Pat McGee, opening for GBS in the past. It was the summer of 2004 and PMB opened for them several times - I can recall Chicago and Minneapolis for sure, maybe Philly too. I liked them quite a lot - good stage presence, energetic lead guitar player, well-crafted tunes. I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

[Laura]

Okay I'm wicked and evil admitted upfront. Now that I settled this point, what I want to see is GBS on the next boat to heaven and announced really early. Then I want to see the looks on BNL's faces when they wind up with a love boat that's 98% GBS girls on the prowl. :D

I'm on my way to confession.... ;P

L

[Leslie]

If Ed and Alan were ever to collaborate in any way, that would be amazing. I've always liked the Ed-written songs more than the strictly Steve ones because they feel more earnest and heartfelt to me. Getting the two of them together result in some incredible songs, I'm sure.

I'm not sure yet when I'll be getting down to AC. I do have to work that day and I'm about 2 hours or so from AC, but hopefully we'll run into each other at some point. The HOB does have that ridiculousness with the lineup so I don't know if it's worth it to get there early and eat something or show up later and get a seat in the balcony. Then again, I'm also not sure if they're playing in the venue with the balcony seating. My sister informed me that there are two venues in HOB Atlantic City, which I wasn't aware of at all, and I've been there. Sometimes I'm oblivious.

Ironically, I went to the HOB to see Pat McGee Band (opening for Hanson of all things). I'm thrilled to be seeing him again. Speaking of honest and heartfelt songwriting, you should check out Pat's myspace and listen to Come Back Home. Or Haven't Seen For Awhile. Both are amazing. It also doesn't hurt that Pat is extremely easy on the eyes. I'm also going to see him on St. Patrick's day in NYC playing an acoustic set.

[lynda]

Hmm. I really thought I answered again here, but now I can't find what I wrote. Silly blog and its random comment-eating tendencies.

Let's try that again, and after that, I've got a response for the person who left the self-revealing anon comment this morning.

Laura, I think you're right. I think if GBS were to go along on another BNL cruise and that fact were announced early, there'd be some heated competition among the two fan groups, though I still believe there would be a spectrum of reasons among those in each fan group for wanting to go. I'm intrigued by the late announcement this time around, though I have noticed that even with that late announcement and the high price tag that had to be quickly come up with, how many "I'm going because GBS is going to be there" people wound up onboard regardless.

There's some talk around and about from what appears to be a fairly reliable source that GBS was asked by BNL to do the cruise as a personal favour. While I'm sure there were also the usual elements of curiousity and a desire to try something new, if it wre also partly about doing BNL a favour (or perhaps returning a past favour BNL had done for GBS), then the late announcement does make sense, especially since there were still quite a few empty cabins on the Ships & Dip cruise when the GBS announcement was made in mid-October.

Curious little bean-counter that I can sometimes be, I went through the S&D3 available spots at the time of the GBS announcement and counted something like 150-200 unsold slots. When I went back and checked close to cruise time, that number was down to about 20 unsold slots, mostly the least desirable cabins.

If the average amount spent per person on a cabin/beverages/merch etc. were somewhere around $1000 (probably a very conservative estimate), and if GBS's presence accounted for most of those 150 or so last-minute cruisers...I can see how GBS very well might have done/paid back a favour to BNL. Add in Alan's onboard willingness to socialise wherever and whenever (apparently even including from the balcony of his own cabin), and it could be BNL who are now indebted to GBS.

When you think about it, if BNL had wanted to bring someone onto the cruise with the kind of fans who had the ability and the motivation to pony up a substantial fee on short notice, GBS would have been a great choice. GBS was a great choice. I've always thought those BNL fellows were as sharp as tacks.

Say a few "Hail Mary"s for me will you, Laura? Just on general principles. Never hurts to accumulate whatever brownie points you can, wherever you can get them.

Leslie, I think Alan and Ed could do some amazing work together. As best I know, it's Ed's songwriting that most appeals to me too. It's interesting that Ed's the only one who doesn't do any non-BNL music of his own, just the producing and television/film stuff, right? Too bad - I also like the idea of Alan prodcuing a solo CD of Ed's too. After Ed produces Alan's solo CD, of course. Priorities.

Maybe I should check with the AC HOB about the venue and the early-entry nonsense. Some HOB's also let you get in the early-entry line if you buy a certain amount of merch in their company store, but that's usually more than you'd spend on an entree. And the merch isn't nearly as good as their food generally is. But merch purchases are less time-consuming than eating at the restaurant.

As soon as I finish up here, I am going to try to remember to email you my cell phone number. If you don't get it, that means I forgot to do it, so give me a nudge again. When you get into AC, give me a call if you want and maybe we can connect before the show. If you arrive very late, you're more than welcome to join me wherever I wind up on the floor so long as I am not surrounded by wacko nut cases who refuse to make a bit of room for someone who takes up even less space than I do. I'm hoping it's not that kind of atmosphere in AC, especially since I am expecting a lot of stupidity in the crowd the next day. Two days of that shit would kind of suck. Still more than worth putting up with, but better if not having to.

Now, for the person who lacked the ability to put her name to her comment...

I get a lot of "anon"-type comments here, some like yours, with no name at all, others with a whole series of fake names. It's usually not very hard to know who most of those kind of comments are coming from. Writing style - or lack thereof - will out, to paraphrase the old adage. Most come from those who are either cracked right down the middle and/or those wallowing in their own sourness. Every now and then, however, there are exceptions.

Yes, I do know who you are, with reasonable certainty. I find your concern with the concept of "signifcance" to be itself significant. I've thought about what might be the best way to answer you, and about whether there is even any point in answering you. I'm still not sure about the latter, but here's my attempt at the former.

Some years ago, I met a genuine, level-headed, kind-hearted girl who was an enthusiastic fan of an artist I also thought a great deal of. She'd never met the man whose music she loved so much, hadn't ever really thought much about getting the chance to come face-to-face with such a Big Star, but she had a sincerely tender and concerned heart in regard to him, something I found very sweet. She was proud of him when he did well and she felt bad for him when he looked to be struggling; she saw him as a fellow human being, and in her own way, she cared about him, an innocent and unselfish sort of caring.

She'd seen the Big Star in concert before, never coming into contact with him personally because it had never really occurred to her to pursue that contact. Then via a online fan-board connection, she hooked up with a woman who was something quite different, the kind of woman who was in it for every bit of attention from On High that she could possibly get. The Sweet Girl wound up waiting by a tour bus door with the Pursuing Woman at the Big Star's next show.

Because she was still such a Sweet Girl - something which made her stand out from the rest of those waiting with her at the tour bus door - the Big Star treated her with kindness and consideration, giving her a few minutes of special and undivided attention.

And an act that was intended to be one of thoughtfulness and generosity changed the Sweet Girl's life. I keep hoping not forever, but the more time goes by, the more futile that hope is becoming.

At that point in my own experiences with fans, I had not yet seen what I have since come to think of as the Manic Attention Mode, though I have certainly seen it dozens, if not hundreds, of times since. It happens when a previously "normal" (slippery term as that is) person gets a dose of attention from a "celebrity" and that dose of attention causes them to start behaving in an assortment of distinctly-less-normal ways, sometimes to a mildly irritating (and eventually embarrassing, for those to whom normalcy eventually returns) level, other times to a level than can be downright frightening, particularly when the person's attention-high begins to wane and they start in on a desperate attempt to get the next fix of that which has made them feel Important, that which has made them feel Significant, maybe for one of the very few times in their lives.

This girl wound up being an extreme case, maybe a bit like the person who downs a few beers and then can't stop drinking. When simple pragmatics made it so she couldn't get another attention-high from the Big Star, she started to chase after a piss-ass local band. When the attention she got from them was no longer thrill enough, she and her new Pursuing Woman best friend set their sights higher and the chase was on. It still is.

She's not very much of a sweet girl anymore. And I am not convinced that all of the time and energy and efforts expended, all of the costs paid and all of the damages done, have caused her to feel all that significant. One of these days, I hope she realises she already is and has always been significant. As are we all, onstage and off alike.

I hope that suffices as response to your comment.

ETA: Yeah, I kind of thought that was going to be pointless. Still worth a try, however - benefit of the doubt and all that.

Well, then, good luck on getting another dose of the fix you're working so hard for, and here's hoping that someday you'll find the courage to put your name to what you write (or perhaps to stop writing things you are ashamed to put your name to). And, no, that really isn't what "significant" connotes, not unless you also don't understand what "serious" connotes. If you think "weighty" or "serious" preclude humour (or humor), then you don't get "humour" either.

God forbid anything connected to Great Big Sea be serious, after all. Or significant.

[Laura]

Why do you even bother answering some anonymosu jerk? Haven't you been through enough with this type by now to know it's hopeless? Why waste the time and energy?

I take it this is one of the numskulls who don't give a shit about the CD or the tour as long as they get more love boat moments? Bleh.

L.

[lynda]

Because I don't want to turn into that person, Laura. I don't want to be the person who contemptuously or callously dismisses someone based solely on their being a member of a particular group that has a high, or even a very high, incidence of cracked and/or asshole behaviour. I've seen the harm that can come from being that person, with the lion's share of the damage happening to the person who's been driven into that perspective by way the hell too many shitty experiences with other members of that same cracked/asshole group. I've got a pile of sympathy for the ones who wind up seeing people that way, but I do not want to be among their number.

I'd rather give people a fair shot. It's not as if I'm particularly disappointed with the ones who go right ahead and act like they are cracked/assholes anyway. I wasn't really expecting much otherwise, only hoping. And every now and then, I meet someone really great, the kind of person I'd have never realised was great if I hadn't been willing to give that person the benefit of the doubt. Those people are the ones who make the time and energy worth it.

And I'd never dismiss someone out of hand based solely on their getting all manic because of having gotten a bit of "celebrity" attention. Experience has taught me that the majority of people - including some really decent folks - seem susceptible to this reaction. It's something that can apparently throw some of the most stable people off balance....for a short time. The difference comes in how long it takes for that balance to reassert itself. That, and sometimes dealing with a bit of embarrassment for what was done/said in the off-balance interim.

Let's be fair to the cruise people. It isn't as if there aren't people who walk out of a GBS show in "their" town and spend the next god only knows how many months blathering about the unique wonders of that show and trying to politick for/whining about the next show there.

I think most GBS fans do give a shit about the new CD, maybe not as much as some of them give a shit about getting their own personal Magic Moments, but that's not the same as not caring at all. And that primary hunger for the Magic Moment is not at all limited to cruisers. The CD exists to for the sake of shows, the show exists for the sake of _____ being able to go to that show.

Actually, I'm not particularly immune to that way of thinking either. I'll admit it - as much as I love the new GBS music/new GBS CDs, I tend to think that GBS shows exist for Alan's sake because what I enjoy most is seeing him getting his own Magic Moments. Well, they're for the income too. I'm not totally bedazzled, just mostly.

I'm beginning to wonder if the cruise fervour continues all year long all the way up to the next one. If so, I'm going to have to say I have some admiration for the company marketing these cruises. If you can get people excited and keep them excited for a full year while they're waiting for their Great Time, then by the time that great time rolls around, those people are going to be so frigging invested (emotionally as well as financially) in the event that no matter how things go they are going to convince themselves it was The Best Time Of Their Lives because to think anythiing otherwise would make them feel foolish for making that year-long investment. Slick.

That is damn savvy marketing. Whenever you hook into the customer's will to believe, it's damn savvy marketing. Self-satisfied customers...that's as good as it gets.

At the end of the day, though, if the results of that savvy marketing are getting on the nerves of the non-converted who are growing bored by the tedious going-on of the self-satisfied and self-absorbed...well, that is why the "Scroll" button was invented.

[Honey]

Hi Lynda,
I just wanted to comment on another possible scenario. As much as it could have been GBS doing BNL a favor it could also very well be BNL doing GBS a favor. We all know in Canada about the connection between the 2 bands at the Junos, but how many American fans may know this. For BNL to invite GBS on board, all of BNL fans now know of GBS. Which includes all those fans of 90210. A big market there. I think to have BNL on GBS's side in the States is a good thing. Just a thought.

[lynda]

Hi Honey - That's an interesting scenario too. I know I've run into a lot of Canadian BNL fans who know about GBS but haven't ever seen them, or maybe haven't seen them or bought a CD in years. And, as Leslie pointed out a few entries ago, the BNL fans apparently tend to be faithful to "Friends Of BNL". So I can see that being a good Canadian connection for them.

I'm considerably less persuaded about the benefits of any American connection, though. Maybe this is largely a West Coast US attitude, but in my own LA/SF/Seattle experience, BNL is at best not particularly well known, at worst not at all taken seriously by many (as always, not all, myself included). At least that's how it has been around nearly everyone I know or have known from there. They were (are) seen primarily as a spoof band, good for a laugh or two but nothing more (not all that different from the widespread Mainland Canada attitude that GBS is only good for getting drunk). One Week, maybe Million Dollars, and men kissing each other on stage, melodrama and leg-kicks and taking off their clothes. That's about it. That's about as much as most of 90210-as-I-have-known-it (hah - I used to live in the adjacent postal code) knows or cares about them, as far as I am aware. Actually, I think the US can handle Ed very well...Steve's the one a lot of people don't seem to know what to think of. Which, unfortunately, often means they just decide not to think about him or his band at all.

Confession time, with apologies to Leslie...I think the world of Ed, and I really like Jim and Kevin too. I am not sure why Tyler acts like such a loud-mouthed arsehole sometimes, but he seems like an OK guy overall. I have my own trouble with Steve. I know it's supposed to be this big I'll-act-foolish-and-the-joke-will-really-be-on-you-for-loving-every-minute-of-it routine, but underneath it all, it still smells like wallowing in self-loathing to me.

If you dress like a clown and you act like a clown, I'd think it would be rather disingenuous of you to also want to look down on people for seeing you as that clown; get a clue and don't feel misunderstood because not everyone sees you in all of your presumed and vaunted brilliance. I really have trouble with that character trait too - genuinely smart people don't need waste time trying to persuade others that theirs (brain, that is) is bigger, not unless they don't really believe it themselves deep down, that is. Not much patience with that kind of shit, though I'll leave the door open to the possibility that my perspective is limited and therefore at least somewhat skewed. Maybe there's something fundamental about Steve I genuinely do not "get". It's just a prevailing impression, not an opinion that's etched in stone.

But even with all that, I've always liked BNL's music, and I think Steve's written (and sings) some excellent songs. I enjoy all the music and watch Ed at the shows. No matter how silly he might be acting or how much fun he might be having, there is never a moment when I am not also convinced that Ed takes himself - and his performance - seriously. He doesn't come across as mocking either his audience or himself; even when he's acting like a total goof, he somehow manages to come across as genuine and sincere. That's what impresses me with any performer. It's a huge part of why I'd love to see Ed do some work with Alan...they're a great match in terms of performance ethic. I wonder if Ed might be interested in film scoring?

Back to the main topic, it seems that, as is the case with GBS, there's a pretty solid US BNL fan base along the border in the Midwest and Northeast (places such as Michigan, upstate NY, etc), but then that is the same as where people know about GBS already, so I am not sure how much help a BNL connection would be to them there. You could argue any exposure helps, but I'm not convinced, based on how a lot of people there see BNL already. Then again, there's the whole matter of how a lot of people react to "Celtic". Given how narrow-minded and rigid so many Americans are in terms of music (there is a reason why the music industry is the way it is in the US), I am not sure either band can help the other in my country...it's too much a case of one foolish and unfair bias pitted against another.

Sad to say, but I think both bands would do way better in the States by forging an alliance/connection with some well-matched US band. Maybe if they are determined to be out on a boat, GBS should consider the John Mayer cruise. I read an amusing comment made by a cruise company employee about that cruise....this was on the company blog and the employee was on his third cruise in as many weeks, having just wrapped up both The Rock Boat and Ships And Dip. So what did the employee notice most about this third cruise? How attractive the passengers were (supposedly, this was the Happy Hunting Grounds Cruise for Mayer fans). Perhaps Sean could be persuaded to give that one a go.

Actually, a comment made about the Cayamo cruise made it sound the best - that employee (can't recall if it was the same fellow) was impressed by how much the people on that cruise genuinely loved the music being played. I guess no free-beer sail away shows on that cruise. Sounds promising. I happen to believe GBS could excel in that kind of environment. I'd love to think they believe that too.

The comment about GBS agreeing to do the cruise as a favour to BNL is thirdhand, but it allegedly comes from one of the chief organisers at the company running the Ships and Dip cruise (I'll be kind and not name the employee or the blabber, since I personally think the remark and subsequent blabbing were both rather injudicious, though not so much as to not use the info...there is still a journalist lurking in here somewhere). Allegedly. Always good to take such information with a grain (or a cup) of salt, but still interesting.

[Robin]

What I want to know is why the fluck is Steven Page hosting the East Coast Music Special? Can we not be trusted to talk about our own music? We have to have an Ontarian for it to get done right?

Heheh. How you describe shows sounds like your'e going to see Alan play hockey anyway. You go to see him win. :D

[Honey]

You are very good with information.

GBS fans on the cruise benefitted with learning upcoming show- Edmonton and release dates of the new cd. That's exciting, for the fans to be told something and to be able to bring the info to the GBS community.

I'm very thankful for the download of the anthems!

[lynda]

(Sorry to take so long to answer. Sick and busy are a bad combo.)

Always happy to share, Honey. Happy too in actually catching those anthems...I'd already exhausted the options of television and online broadcast feeds from CBC/RDS. I didn't think about looking for the online radio feed till about 15 minutes before they were scheduled to sing.

Robin, you are an absolute treasure. Thank you so much for that description. Of all the times I have tried to explain to so many people (not a few of them who have no interest at all in listening, let alone understanding) why it is I still love going to the shows and why I so enjoy seeing Alan perform...your analogy just might be the best one of them all.

I do love seeing Alan win at a show, same as I love seeing "my team" win a game. And even on those nights where he or the team do not win, it is still thrilling to watch the competitive effort take place. It's an effort that deserves my support and admiration. That is a wonderful way to look at it.

ETA: Oops, forgot to comment on the Steven Page hosting matter. I think the "credit" for that one belongs with CBC, who don't seem to believe that an East Coast musician will garner them high enough ratings for a show about East Coast music.

I read an article - I think it was from Halifax - that respectfully suggested CBC has their metaphorical head up their corporate arse and went on to suggest several more-appropriate hosts: Bruce Guthro, Jimmy Rankin, Gordie Sampson, and (drum roll) Alan Doyle.

All in all, this is what I tend to think of as a very "American television" sort of move. There's a slew of specials in the States that wind up being hosted by some demographically desirable "name" who has next to nothing to do with what the show is actually about. Give Steve Page credit though - at least he genuinely took part in the ECMA weekend events, up to and including being a participant in one of the two ECMA Songwriters' Circles. It would have almost been worth the trip to Fredericton to see how he and Damhnait got along during that event.

Too bad they didn't have Alan host it. Alan and Bruce together would have been excellent too,

[Laura]

LOL! You need a Team Alan merch line.

If someone who wouldn't watch the show normally watches it because they like the host,doesn't the end justify the means?

L.

[lynda]

I'd wear Team Alan merch. Proudly. Oh Yeah.

Excellent point about the Barenaked ECMA show. At the end of the day, for all the bitching that gets done about the media, more often than not it's a case of blaming the mirror because you don't like the reflection it shows you. If CBC thinks having an Ontarian musician host an East Coast music show will boost ratings in Canada, that really does say more about television viewers in Canada than it says about CBC, I suppose. I'm not sure the end always justifies the means, but it often makes those means much more understandable.

Thanks for reminding me about this show being on tonight. I hope anyone who can get the show will watch it. There's some very good music to be heard, chief among which is Ron Hynes, but plenty of others too.